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I've been listening to this one all morning. Not Al's best, but definitely better than Polka Party or In 3-D, but an awesome album all around.

My faves are definitely Bob (nice to see Dylan finally getting a nod, and the palindrome theme is hilarious), Wanna B Ur Lover, Genius in France, and Why Does This Always Happen to Me.

Hardware Store, Party at the Leper Colony, and Ebay didn't really do much for me.

Ode to a Superhero is a well-done parody, but after Yoda, Jurassic Park, and The Saga Begins, it's not quite up to expectations.

All this and the number twenty-seven, too! :happy:

I kinda figured Genius in France was intended as a parody of or homage to the late, great Frank Zappa. Weird vocals, xylophone, gratuitous-but-awesome guitar licks (some by Frank's son Dweezil), random style shifts, complete animosity to the French, repition of nonsense words, noises, poodles, "great googily moogily". . . . If Al's voice was a tad deeper, I'd think it was a lost track by Frank.

I picked up the new CD today, and here are my early thoughts. I'll need to listen to it a few more times to really get a good feel of it.

My favorite song right now is ebay. I thought the quality of it was real good, and it was funny and well thought out.

I also like Complicated Song, Ode to a Superhero, Hardware Store, and Couch Potato.

I was not fond of genius in France, Part at the Lepper Colony, or the Angry WHite Boy Polka. Now I usually love the polkas, but maybe my talk radio listening is catching up with me. I didn't recognize over half of the songs in it. Also the pardody of "Hot in Here" (I can't recall the name at this moment), was pretty poor.

AN average alblum in my opinon so far, but like El Chuxter said, not his best, not his worst.

I'm going to have to agree with Lando. Ebay is great as well as Hardware Store. Genius in France, Party at the Lepper Colony, and Angry White Boy Polka -- Not so funny. But still worth picking up on sale.

Well, I have listened to it a few more times, and I can now revise some of my thoughts.

1- Couch Potato: I like this for the most part. The song feels a bit awkward at times, but there are some good lines, and for the most part, it's pretty darn funny.

"But I only watched Will and Grace one time, one day.....Wish I hadn't cuz tivo now thnks I'm ***"

I guess that line is funnier if you have a tivo

2- Hardware Store: Every alblum always has one original song I really like on it, and this one is it. Most guys can relate to the hardware addiction. The music in this one is very solid, original, and the song itself is fun

3- Trash Day: I am on the fence with this one. As a parody, the effort feels forced and clumbsy. Some of the lines are pretty funny though, and I can certainly relate to not wanting to take the trash out. Kind of like "Livin' in the Fridge" felt to me, just average. I doubt I'll listen to the whole song often.

4- Party at the Leper Colony: I think Al was just under a bet to write a song about lepers. It's not particularly funny, and the musical choice for it is pretty poor in my opinion. One of the worst songs on the alblum, and I can't really bare to listen to it

5- Angry White Boy Polka: It's hard to say anything bad about the polkas, but I just don't like the song selection for it. I think he would have done better by going with more mainstream songs for it instead of what he did. Just my opinion though. Definately my lest favorite polka out of them all.

6- Wanna B UR LOVR: This one is average, and not bad for what it is. Just Al reciting a bunch of bad pick up lines to slow music. But some of them are hilarious, which makes the whole affair average to me.

"My love for you is like diarrhea.....I just can't hold it in."

7- A Complicated Song: I like this one a lot. At first I thought it was going to be pretty lame when he started singing about a pizza party, but it got really good. I like how it tells different stories throughout.

"Tell me why'd I have to go and get myself decapitated."
Good stuff.

8- Why Does This Always Happen to Me?: I like this song overall. The song starts out one way, and then totally goes the other way with the story, showing how selfish this guy is to an amazing level. Gotta love a song about someone whos friend gets killed in a car wreck, and he is upset because the guy owed him 5 bucks. Not a great song, but not a bad original.

9- Ode to a Superhero: Liek someone said earlier, it isn't as polished as "The Saga Begins", and again, the song feels forced at times. But I am a fan of "Piano Man", and it's nice getting a SPidey tribute paired with "Piano Man".

"Yes he's wearin' that dumb Power Rangers mask....but he's scarier without it on".....that line stole the song for me.

10- BOB: I started out bored with this song, but after a few more listens, I really like it. I am not a Dylan fan at all, but I think this is a wonderful parody of him, and it's a pretty catchy tune too.

11- EBay: Like I said earlier, I think this is the best song on the alblum. It flows perfectly, and it's a great parody. The music sounds great, and it's hilarious, especially to us EBay veterans.

12- Genius in France: I can't say I like this one either. It never really made me laugh at all, and the music just feels weird to me. I'll give it a few more trys, but right now it is barely above party at the leper colony for worst song on the alblum.

OVERALL, I like the alblum. It's in the middle of all of his alblums somewhere.

Hmmm. . . . I'd think it's a safe wager that the main reason I like "Genius in France" is that it's such a dead-on Zappa. It has musical bits that sound like several different FZ songs, and if Weird Al were to go back to the 70s and convince FZ to cover it, it would've fit in perfectly on the Apostrophe or Over-Nite Sensation albums.

I'm enjoying the CD more as I keep listening to it, with only "Party at the Leper Colony" being a snoozer. I think my favorite line overall has to be "You'd look like the Venus de Milo/If I just cut off your arms."

I agree with Lando in my Pants about the Nelly paradie, It was too forced.. I really thought that song had potential but unimpressed with his choice.

And again like others said this is the first polka I didn't like... Kinda sad about that but the only song I reconized was will the real slim shady please stand up, and I only know that one because the pseudo punks at school sing it ALL the time.

Finally got it!

Like Lando I.M.P., I'll compile a list (Umm... list... )
1. "Couch Potato" - I always like the 'good' parodies, where Al does a great job of not necessarily sounding audibly like that artist, but by capturing their style. Here's a good example.

3. "Trash Day" See #1 above. The woman's back up vocals were great, especially "the tra-ash out" line.

4. "Party at the Leper Colony" 'Not so good, Al' as was said in a Weezer video. The worst on the album, probably one of his poorest songs ever.

5. "Angry White Boy Polka" I LOVE the polkas! Well, the musical style iteslf is not all that great, but if artists realized how dumb their chocies of lyrics were by listening to them this way, maybe they'd change their tune, as the cliche' goes. The System of a Down song sounds awesome set to polka, and Papa Roach is a whining moan!

7. "A Complicated Song" My personal fave on P.H.! I was laughing out loud, even on the second time. Again, he does a good job with this parody.

8. "Why Does This Always Happen to Me" Al is not just a happy-go-lucky parodist who is funny and weird; he has a morbid, sarcastic, acidity sometimes ("Melanie" and "Those Were the Good Old Days" come to mind). I liked it.

9. "Ode to a Super Hero" These are the ones I remember, even if the song's old (like "MacArthur Park" or "American Pie" were). Great.

10. "Bob" I am addicted to palidromes! Sit on a potato pan, Otis! A man, a plan, a canal; Panama! Level, radar, noon, Ana, racecar. I was listening very closely to this one.

11. "eBay" I also was LOL on this one! Laundry list songs, where there's just a lot of detail, are usually great.

12. "Genius in France" You know, I didn't like this one. Somehow it crossed a line for me. I don't dislike it, but it won't be on my all-time top 14 list (coming soon! )

Overall, "Poodle Hat" gets a 3 1/2 potatoes out of 5.

P.S.

Originally posted by "Al-Hater" El Chuxter: Ach mein herr!
I've been listening to this one all morning. Not Al's best, but definitely better than Polka Party or In 3-D, but an awesome album all around.

In 3-D was one of the best! "Nature Trail to Hell"? "I Lost on Jeopardy"? "Midnight Star"? C'mon, El C! I can't believe you'd not agree with my own personal opinions and be your own individual with your own ideas!

Last edited by Bel-Cam Jos; 05-24-2003 at 08:59 AM.

"I went to Star Wars Celebration VII in Anaheim, and I didn't get even a lousy t-shirt."

Here it is!

I know everyone was eagerly awaiting my TOP 14 WEIRD AL SONGS list!

(Insert cricket sounds, one cough, here)

Ahem. So, without any further al-dieu...
1 One More Minute
2 I Lost on Jeopardy
3 Midnight Star
4 Yoda
5 Taco Grande
6 Eat It
7 Jurassic Park
8 Velvet Elvis
9 This Is the Life
10 (This Song's Just) Six Words Long
11 Melanie
12 Dare to Be Stupid
13 Good Old Days
14 (tie) You Make Me/ Nature Trail to Hell

I couldn't get 14 songs to fit, so I through in an extra one, just for good measure. The order is not really in order of favorite (except #1 is my fave). I didn't consider the Polkas, because they're a different category to themselves (perhaps another list? Noooooo, Bel-Cam! You're killing us! )

"I went to Star Wars Celebration VII in Anaheim, and I didn't get even a lousy t-shirt."